Whether he’s a business professional, sports fanatic, entertainment lover, or enjoys barbecuing, here are some great tech gift ideas for every dad on your list.
The Fashion-Conscious Dad
Combining both a fashionable and functional design, the Casio GBA800 Training Timer Series Watch is a great gift for the dad who loves rugged fashion. It’s a smartwatch with Bluetooth that can track fitness activities, including steps, laps, calories burned, and more. Working with the G-Shock Connected app, dad can see a graph that breaks down daily steps in five metabolic equivalent (MET) levels, based on things like walking pace. It’s water- and shock-resistant, and features double auto LED lights. Pick one up in a selection of fashionable colours, including black, white, lime green, navy blue, teal, and gray, for $159.
For The Traveler Dad
A pair of good noise-cancelling headphones is a must for any frequent traveler, and a gift any dad who travels a lot for work or pleasure will appreciate. The Audio-Technica ATH-ANC700BT QuietPoint over-ear Bluetoooth wireless headphones feature active noise cancelling (ANC) technology, helping keep dad immersed in his music while drowning out distracting noises like the hum of the airplane engine or train riding on the tracks. He can answer incoming calls from a wirelessly connected smartphone, and control volume or playback, using a new touch and swipe control system. They offer up to 25 hours of battery life when using ANC, or use them in wired mode if the battery runs out. $300
For the Fit Dad
Keep the fit dad entertained during his workout sessions at the gym with the Sennheiser CS Sport in-ear Bluetooth headphones, which come with three sizes of ergonomic fins and four sizes of ear adapters to ensure a secure fit, even during rigorous activity. He can wear them around his neck, or in front using a cable organizer, while an optional clip can keep the headphones securely in place on a shirt. Use the in-line three-button remote to manage music playback and incoming calls. They offer up to six hours of battery life, and can be fast-charged in 10 minutes for a last minute workout session or run. MSRP $169.95
For the Entertainment-Loving Dad
Whether dad needs help getting ready in the morning, or wants to listen to tunes while he works, the Amazon Echo Spot will be a great companion for his office, living room, or bedside night table. It functions like any other Alexa-enabled smart speaker from Amazon, except this one adds a face so dad can visually see things like the current weather and time and video news briefings, or even make video calls. Thanks to far-field technology, four microphones, acoustic beam-forming technology, and enhanced noise cancellation, the Spot can hear dad from across the room, so he can ask for the news updates as he gets his suit on in the morning, or from the kitchen as he prepares his coffee. It comes in black or white for $170.
For the Dad Who Loves to Cook
Lots of dads love to cook, but most dads particularly love to barbecue – especially during the hot summer months. Go all out and grab him a high-tech Traegar Timberline 850 pellet grill, the latest of which comes with WiFIRE wireless control so he can relax on the deck or by the pool with a cold beer or cocktail and control and monitor the cook from his phone. A built-in meat probe ensures that meat is cooked to the right internal temperature, and a convection setting adds that lovely smoke flavour. $2,500
For the Dad Who’s All Business
If dad is still in love with the BlackBerry brand, consider upgrading his device to the new Key2 smartphone. It includes the classic and familiar BlackBerry physical keyboard alongside a 4.5” scratch-resistant touch screen. Running Android Oreo 8.1, dad will appreciate the tried and trusted BlackBerry security features, access to Android apps, the dual-rear camera, and the Speed Key, a universal shortcut key that he can customize to access his most frequently-used function or applications. It can run for up to two days per charge, and comes in 64GB or 128GB variants, both expandable via optional microSD memory card. MSRP starts at $829.